HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sienel, W. Articles by Passlick, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sienel, W. Articles by Passlick, B. Related Collections Lung - cancer

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2004;25:131-134
© 2004 Elsevier Science NL

Melanoma associated antigen (MAGE)-A3 expression in Stages I and II non-small cell lung cancer: results of a multi-center study

^a Klinik für Thoraxchirurgie, Asklepios Fachkliniken München-Gauting, Gauting, Germany
^b Department of Surgery, Chirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik – Innenstadt, University of Munich, Nussbaumstrasse 20, 80336 Munich, Germany
^c Abteilung für Thoraxchirurgie, Lungenklinik Hemer, Hemer, Germany
^d Abteilung für Thoraxchirurgie, Zentralklinik Emil von Behring, Berlin, Germany
^e Klinik für Thoraxchirurgie, Zentralkrankenhaus Bremen Ost, Bremen, Germany
^f Glaxo SmithKline Biologicals, Rixensart, Belgium
^g Zentrum für Thoraxchirurgie, Ruhrlandklinik, Essen, Germany

Received 28 April 2003; received in revised form 17 August 2003; accepted 22 September 2003.

^* Corresponding author. Tel.: +49-89-5160-2511; fax: +49-89-5160-4437
e-mail: wulf.sienel{at}ch-i.med.uni-muenchen.de

Objectives: Adjuvant immunotherapy is an innovative therapeutic option that might potentially improve outcome of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Melanoma associated antigen (MAGE)-A3 is a promising target for immunotherapy because it is exclusively presented on the cell surface of cancer cells and might be associated with an aggressive cancer phenotype. The present study was performed to determine the rate of MAGE-A3 expression in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and methods: Primary tumor samples from 204 patients with operable clinical Stages I or II NSCLC were collected between March and November 2001. Pathological Stage was determined by the local pathologist in each of the 16 participating institutions. Tissue samples were stored immediately after surgery in a RNA-stabilizing solution and were frozen at -20°C. MAGE-A3 expression was analyzed by detection of MAGE-A3 transcripts using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Results: MAGE-A3 expression was observed in 80 out of the 204 (39.2%) examined Stages I–II primary tumors. Stratification into UICC-Stages showed that 31 out of 105 (29.5%) Stage I non-small cell lung cancers and 49 out of 99 (49.5%) Stage II non-small cell lung cancers expressed MAGE-A3. In comparison to Stage I, the rate of MAGE-A3 positive tumors was significantly increased in Stage II (P=0.004; Chi-square test). Conclusion: The MAGE-A3 expression rate showed that a promising proportion of operable patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancers are possible candidates for trials investigating adjuvant therapy with MAGE-A3 immunization. Currently, a phase two trial of adjuvant MAGE-A3 vaccination is in progress.

Key Words: Immunotherapy • Non-small-cell cancer • Melanoma associated antigen-A3 expression

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. J. Wozniak and S. M. Gadgeel Review: Adjuvant therapy for resected non-small cell lung cancer Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology, September 1, 2009; 1(2): 109 - 118. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. Gridelli, A. Rossi, P. Maione, M. L. Ferrara, V. Castaldo, and P. C. Sacco Vaccines for the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Renewed Anticancer Strategy Oncologist, September 1, 2009; 14(9): 909 - 920. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. K. Dy and A. A. Adjei Emerging Therapeutic Targets in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Proceedings of the ATS, April 15, 2009; 6(2): 218 - 223. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Barve, J. Bender, N. Senzer, C. Cunningham, F. A. Greco, D. McCune, R. Steis, H. Khong, D. Richards, J. Stephenson, et al. Induction of Immune Responses and Clinical Efficacy in a Phase II Trial of IDM-2101, a 10-Epitope Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Vaccine, in Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer J. Clin. Oncol., September 20, 2008; 26(27): 4418 - 4425. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Nemunaitis, R. O. Dillman, P. O. Schwarzenberger, N. Senzer, C. Cunningham, J. Cutler, A. Tong, P. Kumar, B. Pappen, C. Hamilton, et al. Phase II Study of Belagenpumatucel-L, a Transforming Growth Factor Beta-2 Antisense Gene-Modified Allogeneic Tumor Cell Vaccine in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer J. Clin. Oncol., October 10, 2006; 24(29): 4721 - 4730. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Peikert, U. Specks, C. Farver, S. C. Erzurum, and S. A.A. Comhair Melanoma Antigen A4 Is Expressed in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers and Promotes Apoptosis. Cancer Res., May 1, 2006; 66(9): 4693 - 4700. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. O. Gure, R. Chua, B. Williamson, M. Gonen, C. A. Ferrera, S. Gnjatic, G. Ritter, A. J.G. Simpson, Y.-T. Chen, L. J. Old, et al. Cancer-Testis Genes Are Coordinately Expressed and Are Markers of Poor Outcome in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Clin. Cancer Res., November 15, 2005; 11(22): 8055 - 8062. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. E. Raez, S. Fein, and E. R. Podack Lung Cancer Immunotherapy Clin. Med. Res., November 1, 2005; 3(4): 221 - 228. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]